


Gold and Shadow

by Metalife



Category: League of Legends
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - K/DA (League of Legends), Alternate Universe - Western, F/F, Fantasy western, Probably Poly ships, Rating May Change, tags will be updated as story progresses
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-16
Updated: 2020-05-06
Packaged: 2021-01-31 19:08:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,873
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21451237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Metalife/pseuds/Metalife
Summary: A pair of bank robbers on the run. A newly minted sheriff and her deputy. A town that has seen better days. All comes together to form a legend.
Relationships: Ahri/Akali (League of Legends), Ahri/Akali/Evelynn/Kai'Sa (League of Legends), Ahri/Evelynn (League of Legends), Ahri/Kai'Sa (League of Legends), Akali/Evelynn (League of Legends), Akali/Kai'Sa (League of Legends), Evelynn/Kai'Sa (League of Legends)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 66





	1. Partners in Crime (and Law)

**Author's Note:**

> I feel I must mention a few things before starting.
> 
> 1\. I don’t really know too much about League of Legends. I just saw K/DA and went ‘fuck yeah’. That said I do want to bring more characters in to play around with, so while I am researching, feel free to comment what characters you might wanna see.
> 
> 2\. I’m not gonna play hardball with the Western setting. Anachronisms will probably abound. Though that’s kinda expected with a Fantasy Western anyways.

Soft clicks followed the seconds hand around the face of the pocket watch, the bank manager looking only for a few clicks before slipping it back away into his vest. Bracing his hands against the counter, he took in the room, bathed in warm sunlight. A teller nearby was busy in quiet conversation with the only current customers, a husband and wife, while a security guard that was leaning sleepily against the wall straightened at noticing his stare across the room.

As quiet as it was, it still wasn’t late enough to think about simply closing up shop for the evening. A huff slipped out as he tried to figure out what boring task he could busy himself with until then. Wasn’t like anything interesting ever happened in this quiet town to liven things up.

A burst of sunlight poured in as the front door banged open. His brows shot up at the sight of bright purple hair (a new fashion trend from the city was all he could think of) on the young lady who staggered in, her dress puffing up around her as she sank to the floor, crying out for help. The sight had him around the counter just as quick as the security guard, winding up crouching beside her.

“Are you alright miss?” A small face turned to him, lips quivering as she clutched at his arm. His brows had to shoot up higher as wet eyes matching the shade of her hair fixed him in place. 

“I think I will be, good sir.” She took a moment to pull out a handkerchief, dabbing at her eyes briefly before tucking it away. “If you could mind helping me and my friend.”

The soft nudge of a metal shotgun barrel to the back of his head answered the coming question. From his position, it didn’t take much to catch a glance of the ‘friend’. Brown wide brimmed hat, and a dark kerchief wrapped around from the nose down to the collar of a loose jacket, blue eyes openly glared down at him looking right at them. He barely took in the end of hair tied back flaring out behind them as the safety clicked off.

Shit.

Slowly, he looked over to his guard for help. 

Who was backing up with both hands held high, away from the revolver pointed at him as the lady got back to her feet, drawing a second one from her dress to direct to the other people standing in shock.

“You, up.” The metal pushed harder against his balding head as the voice commanded, rough and muffled. Like his guard, the manager raised empty palms as he unsteadily rose. “We need to make a withdrawal from the vault.”

“The rest of you are going to sit over against the wall here.” The lady called out, keeping both guns aimed as she shepherded them into one group with a smile. “And keep both hands on your heads. I don’t think I have to tell you what happens if anyone moves.”

A hand grabbed his shoulder, shoving him towards the back of the bank as the shotgun pressed down to his back. He could feel the beads of sweat building on his forehead as they walked into the vault, trying to remind himself to keep his cool. It’s just a bank robbery, it’s happened before. Just let them take the cash, don’t try to be a hero, and everyone walks away from this. 

The robber let out a low whistle as the vault door swung open, revealing the shelves full of valuables behind. Rough cloth was shoved into one of the manager’s hands. “Start filling.” 

So he did, shoving whatever cash, bonds, or other valuable items were in front of him. Once full, another empty bag would appear, the full one chucked out of the vault to land with a heavy thump. 

“There. That’s all of it.” He said, handing over the last bag as the room lay barren. 

“Not quite.” Another thump as it landed outside to join the rest. “Where’s the box?”

He paused, wondering if he had heard right as a chill dread started creeping down into his stomach. “What box?” 

An annoyed sound slipped out, like they had been expecting this but had hoped otherwise.

“You know exactly what I’m talking about. The box the Shadows left with you.” The chill was now ice in his belly, a tremor running through him despite the heat just outside the building today.

“They’ll kill me if they find out I gave that to you.”

“Or I can kill you right now and find it myself. Either way, I’m leaving with it.” The shotgun started sliding back up to his head. “It’s your choice whether to die here and now, or to have the chance to run.”

It didn’t seem like much of a choice at all, put like that. So he reached out for a water stained patch of the wall behind a shelf, pressing his hand into it. A square of the wall creaked as it slid back.

“Good choice.” 

The hole revealed was small, a tight squeeze for the lockbox just behind the wall panel. Not waiting for him, a gloved hand reached past to grab a handle.

“I hope you know,” He found his tongue again as the hand pulled back, despite a dozen thoughts running through his head of what should he grab from his home in the next hour and take off with. “That whatever punishment they decide to do to me, they’ll plan much, much worse for you.”

Maybe it was a good thing he wasn’t looking back at the bank robber, so he didn’t have a clue of the wooden stock of the gun rushing up at him until it knocked his skull against a shelf. They watched as he crumpled to the floor, leaning over for a moment to make sure he wasn’t going to be getting back up.

“That’s what I’m counting on.”

A glint of gold caught their attention. Dipping further down, they followed the chain down into the manager’s pocket, retrieving the gold pocket watch. It only took a moment for them to clip it off the chain and pocket it as they left.

The lady looked away from the group cornered by the wall at the sound of boots striding across the floor, giving a grin to her friend. 

“All done?” The hat dipped as they nodded, looking over the people looking up at them before taking in their haul. Four bags in total lay by the lady. “Good. Then take over here.”

The shotgun levelled at the guard, earning a flinch. The revolvers disappeared as she picked up two bags, giving a wink to her partner before disappearing out the front door. The kerchief wrinkled around their mouth before they pulled their attention back to the task at hand. 

A horse neighed loudly outside as they looked over the lot. Still hands on head, just as they were told. But the way the guard was staring, he was itching for the opportunity for them to turn their back on him. Switching the shotgun to one hand, they hefted the remaining bags over one shoulder with the other.

“Gentlemen. Lady.” They added with a nod as they backed up to the door. “It’s been a pleasure.” The guard twitched, but his attempt to go for a gun was beaten by the deafening blast of the shotgun.

The spray hit the ceiling above, white dust and debris shattering downwards. Coughing as he staggered forwards out from the wall, the guard glanced up to find the front door swinging shut before him.

Reins cracked out as he shoved it, catching sight of a carriage rocketing off before the sunlight blinded him, leaving him still coughing and hacking in their dust.

Laughter rang out as they crossed the town’s border, the lady adjusting her grip on the reins of the two horses carrying them away from the scene of the crime. 

“How many does this make it now, Akali?” Her entire face was lit up as she looked up to the other on the driver’s bench, twisted to look over the back of the carriage for any pursuers with gun still in hand. “Four? Five?” 

“Four.” The kerchief pulled down made it easier to talk over the horses gallop. Satisfied at seeing no one immediately tearing after them as they made off into the sunset, Akali pulled the shotgun down with her, taking the moment to relax. “You know I don’t count the ambush.” That earned her a tsk as she stowed the shotgun through the carriage window behind them.

“After all the effort I put in to catching up to the wagon?”

“Kai, it was sheer luck they were pulling a bank transfer when we had been in town a day.”

“I wound up hanging off the side while they took potshots at me!” 

Akali rolled her eyes despite a smile, before reaching over with one hand to cup the other’s chin. Kai’sa had barely looked away from the path ahead before she felt warm lips on her own. The reins went slack in her hands as she leaned into the kiss. Too quickly though, Akali was pulling away.

“Still counting it as four.” Kai’sa blinked, taking a moment to comprehend the whisper as Akali turned with a smirk to reach into the carriage window behind them.

“Oh for the love of…” She bit down on her bottom lip to stop the curse as a rifle slid out into Akali’s hands. “Fine. Then I get to plan number five.” 

———————————————

The end of a pen tapped against a wood desk over and over, twiddled from one hand as the other propped a chin up. Gold eyes felt dull from looking over the papers spread before the woman, letting out a sigh when the words began blurring into each other again under the lamp light. There was a squeal as she pushed her chair back, using both hands to push blonde hair back out of the way of her face and out of the fox ears dropping above, looking over the quiet office area before she sighed out loud.

“I need a break.”

A quiet knocking at the front door of the office seemed to be the distraction she was waiting for. “Yes?”

“Oh, good evening sheriff.” A chime went off as the door opened. “I wasn’t sure if you were still in.” Two rabbit ears stood tall amidst short hair, fidgeting around as the person walked in, eyes flicking anxiously over the office. The woman frowned at seeing a stack of fresh papers in their hands, relaxing when they took them over to a board on the wall instead of her desk. “Got some fresh bounties for you. Just came in from dispatch.”

“So long as it’s not more paperwork.” As the postman took to pinning up the bounties, she gathered up the pile on her desk, absolutely done with attempting to finish it all tonight. A brass star went on top to hold it all down, the words _Arbor Law_ curved in the middle. “And I thought I told you that you could call me Ahri.” 

“Well, it’s hard to break habit. The last ones always preferred ‘Sheriff’.” There was another fidget to their ears as they fixed the last one in place. Done tidying, Ahri took a look over the new collection of mugshots and artist renditions. One was even a double bounty, it looked like. “Never seemed to stick around long enough to get more than that to memory.”

“Guess I’ll have to change that.” 

A change in the other side of the room caught her eye, looking over to notice the dark shadows on the stairwell. She pursed her lips, hoping she wasn’t about to be annoyed. 

“All done. Uh, is there any mail to go out for the morning run?” There was a twist in the shadows, trailing down to the base of the steps.

“No, thank you.” There was a visible sink of relief to their shoulders as a breath slipped out, making to turn towards the door.

“Then I guess I’ll see you la-“

“_Leaving so quickly?_” The shadows purred as they pulled up from the floorboards, coalescing as two bright eyes burned out from the growing form.

The rest of the postman’s sentence died into a wheeze, knees threatening to buckle under them as one hand gripped their chest over their heart. 

“_Evelynn!_” Ahri leapt to her feet, both hands on the wood before her.

“Relax. I just wanted a chance to say hello.” Shadows quickly disappeared into leaving a more human looking form of a woman behind, clad in a tight dress. Those burning eyes rolled Ahri’s way, giving her a smug smile with gleaming white teeth. 

“R-right, well.” Still keeping one hand over pounding heart, the postman took a step towards the door. Evelynn made no effort to stop them, but also no effort to move out of the way, letting them squeeze up to the wall to get past without touching. “Have a good night!”

Ahri sank back into the chair with a sigh at them basically breaking into a sprint as the door closed behind. 

“Please don’t give the postman a heart attack, Eve.” She groaned, dragging her hands down her face. The woman in question shrugged, running her fingers through the long trail of magenta hair pulled over one shoulder. 

“I was only teasing. You’d know if I was actually trying to kill them.” A stride easily brought her across the room to the side of the desk, trailing one set of nails down the wood. “Sometimes, I can’t believe you’re still playing into this sheriff act, _gumiho_.”

“Well some of us actually like helping people.”

“Ew.” 

“It’s not that bad, _deputy_.” It was fun to watch the way her nose wrinkled in disgust at the title, a huff leaving her mouth. 

“I was the one who put those three out a window, and you were the one they gave the badge and office to?” 

“I thought you didn’t want to be the sheriff?”

“I don’t. I just want to feel appreciated when I do something.” 

Ahri slipped her hand over Evelynn’s before she went to move again, giving a small squeeze.

“I am glad that you decided to follow me on this trip. You know that, right?”

Ahri was the one that wanted to shed her old life, start anew in another place far away. Evelynn had been perfectly content in the life they’d had before this, but didn’t even hesitate in taking the same path.

“…Of course I do.” Still, that gleam in her eyes did grow softer at the admission. Even as she leaned down low across the desk, clearly drawing the other’s attention down her form. “Now, are you going to stay down here all night scribbling away, or are you going to come upstairs?” 

“I suppose I could be tempted.”

Eve’s grin flashed white, before a swipe of shadows took out the lamp’s flame.

—————————————

“Hold it steady. Steady! I can’t read the map like this.”

Akali did her best, but there was only so much you could do to keep a flickering candle in a glass container as you wanted it. Night had set faster than anticipated, slowing them down to pause in the middle of the road, wind rustling through tree branches as she struggled with the lamp and the barely there moonlight from behind clouds.

“We’ve gotta be near to it now.” She murmured, trying to figure out if that blob on one part was a giant rock they had passed a while ago.

“Unless we took a wrong turn somewhere.” Kai’sa traced a finger down over the paper, charting out their route. “A left here and… ah!”

“What?”

“Just a hill more to go and we should see it! Soon we’ll have nice warm beds for the night.” One of the horses pawed at the ground, snorting as he waited for them to finish. “And a stable for these two to rest in.” She made sure to add as she tugged on the reins to start them back up.

“Hopefully we’ll be to rest a while there.” A whole day’s travel between them and their last theft was good, but Akali was itching for a chance to have a proper sleep before figuring out their next move. Lamp sitting between the pair, she pulled out her new pocket watch, just able to read the hour. “It’ll probably be a while before they might track us down to a frontier town like… what was the name of this town again?”

“Arbor.” Kai’sa pushed the map into Akali’s hands as she focused on the barely there path before them. As they crested the hill, a few lights began to shine out from a distance, mostly from one large building. A hotel? “Looks fairly quiet.” 

“Good. Exactly what we need.”

A full night’s sleep in an actual bed, a chance to re-supply, and they’d be off before anyone looking for them could come knocking.

She clicked the watch shut.

What could go wrong?


	2. Daggers Drawn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Making a stop to rest, it doesn’t take long for trouble to find the robbers.

The only sound to accompany the horses pulling the carriage into town was the faint chirping of crickets. Not too unexpected, given the late hour, but it felt more odd the closer they pulled up to the brightly lit, two storey building they had seen from the hill. The shapes of a few other buildings in the dirt street loomed in the dark, but apart from a few dull lanterns glowing, all was quiet as a mouse. 

As Kai’sa pulled in the reins to slow, Akali read out the name on a sign hanging out from above.

“Valor’s Rest Inn?”

“Well, sounds better than some places we’ve stayed at.”

Kai’sa blinked as the front door opened, a small chubby figure coming halfway out. After a moment, the boy grinned back at them, teeth bright against his dark skin, waving an arm enthusiastically.

“Hey! Are ya staying for the night?” He yelled out. Now that was a pair of lungs. Kai’sa smiled back at him.

“That depends.” She teased. “Y’all got any rooms left?”

“Yeah!” He opened the door again, leaning back inside to call. “Dad! We got guests!”Ducking out, he pointed one hand around the side of the hotel. “There’s a stable just around, come in once you’ve parked! Dad, did you hear me?” And he was gone, door slamming shut behind him.

“Seems like a good place already.” 

The stable proved to be well-kept, with a swept clean floor and a fresh bunch of hay inside. It didn’t take too long with two pairs of hands to unstrap them from the carriage and leave them happily munching away as they made their way inside back through the front. 

Just like the street outside, the lobby of the hotel seemed pretty vacant of life. Out of a few scattered tables and chairs on one side of the room, only one old man seemed to be a guest other than them. And he was slumped over the table, white hair sticking every which way under his hat as he snored. But it was warm and clean, and Akali could see the kid from before, propped up by the bar counter as he talked to someone leaning down behind it. He bounced in his chair as he caught sight of them.

“Dad! They’re here!”

“I know, I know. I heard the door too.” The voice spoke gently from behind the counter, the man coming up. Thick dreadlocks were pulled back into a tidy ponytail, hanging down his back as he straightened back up into sight. A thin layer of stubble was around his mouth and chin. Certainly he didn’t have an expensive suit on, but it was clear that he took pride in looking smart, tugging his vest and shirt sleeves back into place as he laid dark green eyes on them.

Though tired, he gave the travellers a small smile before he turned to pat the boy’s head. “But it’s time for you to run upstairs and go to bed.” He groaned, but hopped off the stool and headed up the main staircase, leaving the adults to talk. “So…” He took a beat to look them over. “…What can I do for you ladies?”

“A room for the night would be great.” If Akali hadn’t been keeping her eyes on him as Kai’sa took over the talking, the exhale he let out might have been just a normal breath, not one that his shoulders and face slowly relaxed with. “And I guess board for our horses too. We kinda already took over your stable.” Her suspicions were confirmed as he took one hand away from the underside of the counter. All the money on her, she would bet there was a shotgun hanging down below.

“That’s fine. I heard Callum telling you to go round. And we’ve got plenty of rooms for the night here. Two single rooms next to each other?” He guessed as he brought out a logbook and a pen.

Akali and Kai’sa shared a look, Akali raising one eyebrow as they wondered whether to say it outright. A quick glance over them while waiting for an answer, he seemed to catch on.

“Oh!” It was hard to catch the blush on his cheeks, but it was there. “Sorry. One to share?” 

A quick discussion and payment left them with a brass key, and the promise of a hot breakfast waiting for them in the morning. And as soon as the door shut behind them, Kai’sa flung herself onto the large bed, sighing with relief as she sank into the mattress. Akali was less quick to entirely let down her guard, moving over to the windows.

“Something’s funny with this town.” Still only moonlight outside as she checked the locks. “You saw how he was checking us over too, right?”

“Yeah.” Kai’sa rolled over after a muffled reply into a pillow. “Still, I don’t think word has reached this far, if he didn’t think we were bad after a few words.” If they had been recognised, him going straight for the shotgun or playing completely friendly from the beginning would have made more sense. With no one aware of the bounty on their heads, maybe they could afford to relax a little.

Akali shucked her jacket off, leaving it draped over a chair. From her position in the bed, Kai’sa made no attempt to move her gaze away from her partner as the extra layers came off. She bit down on her bottom lip as the bright ink of curling blue and gold lines came into view near Akali’s collarbone as she got to the top buttons of the plain white shirt. Not even Akali looking up to catch her stare dissuaded her.

“You’re looking pretty comfortable there.”

“The view definitely helps.” She said, smile spreading as her partner came round the bed. She could feel the mattress give as Akali climbed on, twisting into her side so they could face each other. 

“Gods, this bed is soft.” 

“I know.” Surprising given how far out they were, but a welcome one certainly. “We should give it a good testing, shouldn’t we?”

That earned a huff of a laugh before Akali looped an arm over her waist, drawing her in. A pleased hum slipped out as warm lips captured her own. Her own hand went wandering under Akali’s loose shirt, tracing her way up the other’s side. 

A knee worked it’s way between her legs, igniting that feeling down low when it pressed up. But all the heavy fabric of her dress dulled the friction and irritated her.

Kai’sa was the one to break the kiss this time, putting her fingers between them as Akali tried to chase her back into another.

“Hold on. I’ve still got too much to take off before we can go any further.” 

Akali pouted, but let her go as she slipped off the bed. 

While she did love how the dress looked on her, Kai’sa did not love how long it took to put on and take off. It did do the job of making her look like a high society damsel in distress that would pull people’s attention, which was probably what really mattered given how easy their last job had been. So maybe she shouldn’t complain about things like pinching fabric or the embroidery catching on her hair as she worked her way out of it.

Soon enough, she could sigh with relief as she stood in her undergarments, letting it hang over the chair with Akali’s jacket. 

Too bad the sight she turned back to was the other woman conked out, eyes closed as her chest rose and sank with each long, deep breath. 

“Really?” 

Guess the toll of only stopping to rest when the horses needed to had finally caught up. There wasn’t anything she could do about it, other than to grumble her way into bed next to her (flipping a spare blanket over Akali as well to not leave her out in the cold). Reaching a hand over to the bedside light she paused linger on the other’s sleeping face for a second. Just enough for her smile to come back before the flame went out.

———————

A few hours later, and the sun was shining into the front windows of the lobby. Kai’sa picked at the remains of eggs and toast on her plate, Akali leaning back in her chair with a cup of coffee. The inn owner was wiping down the counter, glancing up occasionally to check over the room.

“Morning Mr. Samuels!” A voice called out as the door swung open. Both girls looked over at the new distraction.

They noted the rabbit ears first, coming out of short brown hair with matching fur, save for black edges around the tips. Tall, they almost matched Samuels, the inn keeper who now had a name, for height. Well, if you didn’t count the ears. Catching sight of new people, hazel green looked surprised to see guests, turning for a moment to glance at them. The front of their hair looked like they’d just been through a gale, windswept and pushed to the side. Add a dusting of freckles and a simple getup, and this appeared to be the town postman.

Dirt scuffed boots walked straight to the counter, reaching into a messenger bag at their side before turning back to Samuels.

“Got your mail.” A few envelopes were placed on the wood as they reached in again for a scrap of paper that went straight into Samuel’s hands. “And a note from your supplier. I don’t think it’s good news.” He scanned over the note, his mouth setting into a tight line the further he read, before ending with a sigh.

“It’s fine, it’s fine. We’ll make it work somehow.” The lingering frown said otherwise, even as he tried to change the conversation. “Did you find out about getting copies of those bounty notices?”

Akali paused with cup still at her lips. Kai’sa stopped messing with her food. 

“Oh right.” A few pages came out, loose leaf portraits and large numbers. “Still not sure why you wanted them.”

Both Akali and Kai’sa counted the seconds tick by as they talked over the bounties, before the conversation trickled to a halt. A hand on one in particular, Samuels looked over to their table, squarely at Kai’sa.

“Told ya you should have worn a mask too.” Akali whispered, earning a less than subtle kick under the table. Kai’sa tried her best at an unperturbed smile to the inn keeper.

“Something the matter?” 

Samuels frowned. Sure, the portrait did match her. But it was hard to picture her as one of the bank robbers that had a string of heists under them. Still, he did have someone who’d spent more time looking at these pictures.

“Kit? What do you think?” 

The postman, now also with a name, leaned against the bar, their ears going back.

“Well I wasn’t going to say it because it all seemed fine but…”

“To be fair, we only rob banks, not inns.” Akali interrupted, taking another sip of her coffee. Kai’sa swivelled towards her, dropping the smile to stare.

“_Not. Helping._” She hissed, though Akali just shrugged.

“They’ve already figured it out. Not like I can make it worse.” She set the cup down and looked at him. “So, what are you going to do?”

The frown deepened, but before another word could come out of his mouth, the front door was kicked open.

“Did ya miss us?” Four men strolled in, their hands tucked into their pockets. With their hair slicked straight back and out, matching red jackets, and a preening strut, there was something about them that made Akali think of a bird. She didn’t like them from their entrance, she certainly didn’t like their greasy smiles that showed too much teeth as they walked up to Samuels. “Hey Pops, you got your payment ready for us?”

“What makes you think I have any money after your last visit?” He said quietly, not moving as they circled. Even as Kit cringed, trying not to draw their attention. His hands braced against the side of the counter, sliding underneath. Kai’sa sucked in her breath, knowing what he was going for.

Before he could reach it though, the first thug whipped out a pistol in his direction, grin growing as he held it sideways.

“Aw, Pops. I thought you’d be smarter than that. I mean, we have your friend right here,” The pistol turned to the postman, who folded even further back against the counter. Samuels swallowed, pulling his hands back from the counter. “And look! New guests! You’re still getting customers!” His flunkies eyed up Akali and Kai’sa. Even as she cursed leaving her revolvers upstairs, she could feel Akali bristling, ready for an opportunity to jump in. “You’ve got the money. And we’ve told you. Don’t hold out on the Roosters.”

She couldn’t help it.

Akali snorted at hearing their gang name. The leader’s attention turned to her with a snarl on his lips.

“Is there a problem?” He asked, clearly expecting her to cower in response. His attention turning, he left his thugs in charge of intimidating the others. One grabbed the collar of the postman to drag them off to the side, the other two staring down Samuels.

“No, no.” She waved it off, nonplussed as he forgot his main target, starting to walk over. “Just, really? You’re gonna name yourselves after a bird that’s known for being loud and annoying?” That’s it, just keep coming closer.

A sneer came over his face, though yellowed teeth were hardly intimidating. Akali eyed the distance left between them, focused on keeping her face cool as he took another step. 

Boots scuffed across the floor as a shout broke the tension. Tired of just holding onto the hare, one of the Roosters had moved onto shoving them away from the counter to separate them. Being the biggest of the four though, it was easy to see he used too much effort on too light a target. Kit went stumbling, almost hitting the door frame before catching themselves and running out.

“Aw, they’re going for the sheriff.” He said, no worry and a slight amusement in his voice as he watched them.

“Who cares? The sheriffs here are always piss-ants.” 

“I care!” The leader said, snapping back at them. “So go take care of them!” The flunky shrugged before slinking off after them, pulling out their own pistol as the door swung out before them. “And you!” He shoved the pistol up to Akali’s head, finally right next to her. “You’re gonna start emptying your pockets right now if you want to live!”

“Sure.” There was a quick glint in her lap that made the leader glance down. But he definitely was not fast enough to see the blade before he felt it, pinprick of cold steel up against his throat. 

“How’s this to start with?”

———————

“Sheriff!” Kit pounded a fist against the door. After flying across the street to get help, finding a locked door was not helping their stress. “Sheriff!”

Had they taken off already? It wouldn’t be the first time the law here had taken off at the first sign of trouble. Or were they just waiting it out instead?

They gave one last slam against the door before the safety of a gun clicked off behind them.

“Poor little rabbit. Doesn’t look like any help is coming.” He snickered as they froze against the door frame. “But if you hold still, I promise I’ll make this quick.”

The door wrenched open before he could make a move. At first startled, then he was just confused at seeing only darkness past Kit’s shoulder. 

“**Move**.”

Not needing a second time, the postman dived down to their left. The Rooster squared up, pointing his gun into the room as he looked for where the growl had come from. How could it be this dark inside?

“I’ve got more than enough bullets for any stupid-“

Two thick tendrils of shadow whipped out, wrapping around to yank him in as he cut himself off with a scream. A muffled shot rang out, but his scream only went higher. 

“_Evelynn!_”

“…Fine.”

His body was flung back out into the street, sans gun. Red dripped off to stain the dirt as he staggered back up. As he stumbled his way back up the steps to the inn crying out for help, the shadows stepped out after him. 

Evelynn grinned with too sharp teeth as she took to her human form, but kept the two tendrils drifting out behind her, purple tips gleaming sickly as she walked after her prey. “Finally, a chance for some _fun_.”

She paid no attention to the postman slumped down the wall and glued to the porch, trying not to move as she went past.

———————

His grimace increased as Akali jabbed her kunai further into his throat, forcing him back to avoid cutting open a vein as she stood up.

“Put the gun down.” 

He complied, gingerly putting the pistol down on the table. Still, the situation wasn’t much safer for it, given the two by the counter with hands on holsters. But one disarmed was still a plus. 

“Now. You’re gonna turn around, walk out of here with your friends, and leave town.”

A blade threatening to slice him open, and his pistol picked up by Kai’sa now, she had assumed him as a coward who would tuck tail and take the easiest option to save his hide. 

Instead, he locked eyes with her, taking a beat to assess the situation.

“No.” As he spoke, Kai’sa spotted the other Roosters draw their pistols, ready for whatever might happen.

“You make one move and you’re dead. You know that, right?”

“And you think you won’t be too? Plus, we’ve got other targets. Or did you forget?” Apparently his friends had, one turning back to Samuels to find him reaching under the counter again with the lapse in attention. The pistol shoved in his face made him reconsider. The other one opted to aim for Kai’sa, earning a gun pointed right back at him. 

Leading them all into one big stalemate, no one willing to make a move unless they set off a chain reaction.

Not unless something else interrupted them.

“Boss!” The Rooster that had gone out limped back in, clutching one shoulder. Wait, didn’t he go out chasing after a postman? Blood was now streaked down his face as he whimpered. “It’s a demon!”

“What the fuck-“

Twin black tendrils appeared from behind to wrap around his legs, dragging him back out the door as he fell, scrambling at the wood for purchase as he went yelling. 

“Shit!” The one watching Samuels ran to the door to aim out. And with one distracted, now they could act. 

Akali pulled her blade away for a moment, twirling it around to have her fist wrapped around the grip before slugging the leader in the nose. He swore, swinging out himself. She batted it away easily, slipping a foot behind one of his own and yanking it out of place as she surged forward to slam him headfirst to the ground.

As they went, she could see the gleam of the last Rooster’s pistol, swinging to her as he went to squeeze the trigger.

A shot rang out. But there was no searing pain that suggested Akali had been hit. The pistol went flying as the Rooster cursed, shaking his hand and clutching at the wrist. Looking over her shoulder, she spotted the smoking gun in Kai’sa’s grip. Locking eyes earned a smile, glad to see her friend unharmed.

A thud, and the other Rooster hit the floor as they looked back. Samuels stood with shotgun in both hands, wielding it stock first like a club. Called it.

“God, I’ve wanted to do that for a long time.” Shifting it around in his hands, he eyed the two over. “Wouldn’t have thought I’d have help from a pair of bank robbers though.” 

“Who, us? We’re just simple travellers.”Kai’sa tried with an impish smile. Not that she expected it to work with their cover blown, but at least it got a smirk from him.

The Rooster at the door backed up slowly, making them all realise there was still one left. But as he staggered back in a daze, dropping his gun as he went, all the fight seemed to go out of the room. 

In walked one of the most beautiful women they had ever seen. Blonde hair flowing out behind her illuminated by sunlight, gold eyes shining as they took in the remaining gang on the floor, soft lips that curving up into a smile as she kept her eyes on the Rooster before her. But most importantly, to them at least, was the fox ears perched on top of her head, and the mass of white fluffy tails twisting behind her. 

Akali could feel the hairs in the back of her neck stick up looking at them, a tingle going down her neck.

And then she laid eyes on the bronze star pinned to the woman’s chest.

Oh

Oh no.

“You.” A ripple went through the air as she spoke. “You are going to go out, across the street, and into the cell with your friend in my office. Understood?” He nodded dumbly, then walked around her to seemingly just turn himself in.

Then those bright eyes swept over the pair, and Kai’sa could see the gears turning behind them as the focus fell on her. She took a step towards her, but stopped as Akali got to her feet between them, kunai still gripped tightly in one hand.

Maybe they had been discovered. But only Samuels had a weapon on him, and it was unlikely he’d be very willing to shoot those who had just helped him avoid being robbed. Not immediately at least. They could push past and make a dash for their horses. Maybe they would lose the few bits left in their room, but that would be a small price to pay.

But instead, that damned smile came back, aimed at her. And it felt like the entire world narrowed in on blonde hair and perfect lips as the rest became pink haze.

She could smell sweet perfume drifting over as her blade was gently taken from her. Normally, any attempt to do that would result in someone losing a hand, but Akali was only happy to let it go. “There. Now.” Cool metal slipped over her wrists, a couple of clicks ensuring they were just tight enough to not slip around. A shiver ran down her spine at the brush of fingertips on her arms.

“Akali?” It was hard for Kai’sa to believe what she was seeing. “What are you doing?” Because it certainly looked like she had just let the sheriff walk over and put handcuffs on her. 

“She is simply doing what I want her to.” The sheriff said, not breaking her focus on Akali to talk to her. “You might have helped take down these four, but you’re still dangerous thieves yourselves. Now there’s two ways I can have you walk over to the cells. I’m sure you can figure out what they are.”

Sure. Surrender and walk, or try to fight and get dragged in. Kai’sa swallowed, taking in the dazed Akali waiting for directions. Even if there was a chance, she couldn’t leave her partner here.

So she set the pistol down on the table and raised her hands up slowly.

————————

“Alright, so how long do you think it’ll take you to get the telegram out from the train station in Clemens?” Samuels asked, both hands in pant pockets as he looked over to Kit getting ready for the journey.

“With some luck, I should be back well before nightfall.” Kit said, checking over the instructions in their hands of the message to send. They tucked it away into their bag, giving it a pat. “Not sure how long it’ll be for them to come take them off our hands though.”

“Hold on.” Ahri walked into the conversation. “I have a different idea. Report the gang, but don’t send word of those two.” 

“Why?”

“Like I said, I have an idea.”

“And what idea might that be?”

The bounty had put down the pair as devious and merciless in the way they had robbed four banks and a wagon shipment. Not caring who they hurt so long as they got their money. But today, they helped stop a robbery themselves, when all it would have taken to keep themselves safe would have been to keep quiet. That couldn’t be the kind of people without a conscience.

The kind of people whose help she needed.

“Community service.”


	3. Daggers Drawn - Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The sheriff offers a deal to the outlaws. Arbor holds its breath.

“Community service.” 

Samuels pinched the bridge of his nose at remembering the idea that the sheriff had prompted. The first time they had ever managed to stop bandits from walking all over their town and the sheriff wanted a couple of them to stay. 

Granted, they had helped take part of the Roosters. But bank robbers? That’s a whole other level than thieving thugs. Small pond, big sharks. However that parable went.

So he did the only thing he could think of to really convey how bad an idea this was.

A town meeting.

Not that it was hard, with the town’s current population able to fit into his lobby easily enough. 

There was the postman, Kit, sitting at a table, ears twitching around as they kept switching focus between who was talking.

Beside them was Father Lam, the definition of patience as he sat waiting for them to begin, posture as straight as his vestments. 

Next was Doc, a mess of pepper and salt hair slumped down in his chair until a sharp elbow nudge barely hidden under the table from Father Lam roused him into being somewhat alert, bushy eyebrows shooting for the ceiling with a yelp. 

Away from the table, choosing to stand as she gave quick head pats to her two boys before sending them out to play, was the general store owner, Ada. Short, brown, tightly curled hair held back by a scarf to keep out of her eyes, skin almost the same shade of the wood table she was joining them at. A hand over her obviously pregnant stomach as she guided herself into the last seat, she cracked a smile at Samuels, who couldn’t help returning one to his wife despite trying to begin the meeting.

“That’s the sentence our sheriff wants to give two serial bank robbers. Community service.” As Ahri winced internally, Samuels couldn’t help feeling like something was missing as he did a quick head count. “Wait, where’s Spence?”

“Down in his mine again.” Kit turned away from the pointed look Samuels gave them. “You know the echo there is hell on my ears. Besides, I called down, and he told me to buzz off. Said his ‘mineral level recordings’ were more important than some vote.” 

Father Lam sighed. 

“If only that boy paid half as much attention to the town.” He said, even as he had to nudge Doc again to make sure he was focusing. “As much as finding a new vein would be good, it can’t be healthy to be spending that much time underground.”

“I think it’s healthy for us to have time away from his rich boy attitude.” Ada pitched. “I swear, if I have whining in my shop about something like the quality of the coffee beans again, I’m going to be this close to backhanding him out the door.” 

“As much as I want to hear about potential assault,” Ada’s smile didn’t waver as Ahri took over the conversation. “I think we need to get back to why this meeting was called. We have two good Samaritans in the cells that could be motivated to help this town instead of being hauled off to court.”

“Good Samaritans? Sure they broke up a fight, but that doesn’t make them into some kind of Robin Hood pair.” Samuels pointed out. “I don’t see that as a good enough reason to trust them with helping the town and not, you know, taking off at the first opportunity for freedom.” 

“I have a plan for that.” One that she was still working on the fine details of, but still.

“There’s also the question of just how they would serve out this ‘community service’.” Father Lam pointed out, his quiet voice still immediately catching both their attention. “Far be it for me to say, but one quick glance over this room shows how little our community really is by this point.”

And if this community would last much longer, was the unspoken point that they all knew. Towns on the frontier edges had always had it rougher than those close to the cities, that had been true. That was the trade-off expected as they grew further out into the wilderness, enduring long enough to set up and reap the bounties of the land around them. But in recent years, the distance from cities and the law had been drawing out those looking for easy pickings, places where they could set up camps and not be easily challenged. 

Arbor had been doing fine, avoiding the worst of that to begin with mostly due to the Spenceton silver mine keeping a steady influx of workers and money moving around. Hell, it was looking to become an anchor point of trade going further inland for people looking to set up farmlands. No-one could have foretold that the mine would suddenly dry up of all metal within a couple of months. Nothing but rock dug out day after day.

Just like that, about half the town packed up to find work elsewhere. Hard to blame them, when it was either find work or starve for a lot. And when thugs started swooping in for their cut off what remained, even more moved out.

And then the Voidouts started happening.

And no-one wanted to think about those.

“That is precisely why they could help.” Ahri said. “You said it yourself, Samuels. That they were skilled fighters, and they stuck their neck out to help even when they could have sat there. Think about it. What if we could get them to help push back against the other outlaws around here?” He didn’t say anything, but she could see him chewing at the inside of his cheek, mulling the thought. “I might be quite capable, but I can’t be everywhere.” And leaving Evelynn alone was not an option. “With more people, we could push them out from around the neighbouring towns, make it safe for people to move out here again.”

Arms crossed, he drummed one set of fingers over skin as she waited on him. Of course she had to get at the hope he had, that things might actually return to normal. But was it really enough for him to trust two strangers with their backs?

Of course, the first person whose reaction he would look to was his wife. And of course, Ada would have that sharp edge to her eyes, with a glint that suggested she knew this would be interesting. 

Doc was still conscious and following, though it was likely he would just agree with Father Lam’s stance to keep the peace. Father Lam looked actually thoughtful. Maybe it was the potential of rehabilitation for two major criminals that was pulling him in. Leaving Kit, who would likely try to follow a majority vote, and discarding Spence’s vote.

Who would likely have done a hard no, they were all sure.

“We should put it to a vote then.” He said, despite already having a good idea of what the answer would be.

\-------------------------------

Akali blinked, taking in the ceiling in front of her as she came around. Plain dark wood, a few whorls and scratches across it. Huh. Guess she hadn’t been paying attention last night before falling asleep.

A second later, and she was frowning. Where the hell was she exactly? Pushing up from the small cot she found herself on brought the sight of iron bars from ceiling to floor. Well that answered itself neatly. Now just how did she get here? 

Getting her feet back under her, Akali looked over the cell as she wracked her brains. She could remember checking into the hotel fine, flush with cash and the thrill of pulling off another heist. And then they had come down for breakfast in the morning, after which she had been intent on checking their spoils. 

The innkeeper, guns waving around, her kunai jumping into her hand. A fight. Then something pink crept in across her mind’s vision. A haze that rolled in and smothered across the memory. That… was not good.

“Akali?” A familiar voice called from just beyond the bars, bringing some relief. Finally, someone that might help explain all this.

“Kai’sa?” Grabbing at the bars, she tried to push her face through to look over to her partner. Across from her was another cell, mirrored other than a small barred window. And her partner sat on the floor near the bars, back against a wall as she rested her hands over knees drawn up to her. “Why are we in jail?” 

“Maybe because you followed the sheriff right in?” There had been a brief look of relief at seeing Akali up and normal again, but now there was a frown as the reality of their situation was now clear for the both of them. 

“What?” She certainly didn’t remember that. “Why the hell would I do that?”

“I don’t know!” Kai’sa’s hands flared out as she spoke, exasperated. “All it took was one smile from her, and you handed over your dagger.” Akali’s hand flew straight to her sidearm at that, patting and finding only an absence under her clothes. “Then again, I guess a lot of people have a thing for blondes…”

“What? No!” Still, the more Kai’sa talked about what happened, the more the pink started sliding away from her recollection. Now, she could see the woman Kai’sa described, glowing like a vision with the sunlight behind her, sliding handcuffs on her wrists and asking her sweetly if she wouldn’t mind taking a walk back over to the sheriff’s office with her. 

“So of course I had to follow your dumb ass in as well.” Kai’sa huffed as she stood up, shaking out dust from her skirt. 

“Gee, thanks.” As sarcastic as that was, it was definitely good to have someone watching her back in here with her. “So, what’s the sentence this time? Prison, or they gonna try hanging us again?”

“Not sure yet. The sheriff’s been gone since we got in here. But…” Kai’sa looked up the hallway between their cells, drawing Akali to look towards the actual office part of the sheriff’s.

“Oh, don’t let me interrupt your little conversation.” Evelynn drawled from where she was lounging over a chair, leaning the touch the top of the wood to the wall behind. Akali fought back bristling at the sight of her kunai being spun idly around one finger. “I’m just here to watch and make sure you don’t do anything stupid until Ahri comes back from pleading your case.”

“And that makes you… the deputy?” Akali couldn’t help sounding sceptical as she took the opportunity to check over the new stranger again. She didn’t exactly strike the outlaw as yet another lawman. Especially in such a dress that was two steps away from being entirely indecent. 

“Perhaps.” Getting bored of the dagger, Evelynn put it back on the table next to her, hand drifting idly over the rest of the confiscated weapons. “And perhaps you’re the bank robbers a lot of people have been looking for. Though I can’t say I’ve seen a thief with a weapon like this for a long time.” The sickle’s edge gleamed as she moved it around for inspection, the handle’s length wrapped in leather strap reaching down her forearm as she pressed a fingertip to the steel point. “A farmer looking for an adventure, maybe?”

“Yep, farmers. Could you let us out?” Earnest sarcasm from Kai’sa earned nothing more than a brief smirk before she winced. The blade’s tip had sunk into skin, a misjudgement of pressure as they talked. Instead of blood dripping, a small puff of black smoke burst from the wound as she pulled away, almost too small to be seen before her finger returned to being fully unmarred. It only took a couple of clicks inside Akali’s head to realise what they had seen. 

“I mean, us being farmers is more believable than a demon as a deputy, don’t you think?”

The weapon was set back down quietly. Her heels clicked across the hall as she strode in. Evelynn’s eyes were running over Akali, her face giving nothing away as she took in the other woman trying to nonchalantly lean against the wall. Then she took in Kai’sa, who gave a small smile and a wave. 

Her gold gaze back to Akali, she finally settled back into her smirk. 

“Interesting. Looks like you two might actually fun to watch.”

“And what does that mean?” Were they going to stay rotting in these cells to be free entertainment?

“Oh, you’ll find out soon.” Evelynn gave a dismissive wave as she made her way back to her seat. “Better you hear it from her anyways.”

Kai’sa and Akali locked gazes. The former questioned with pinched brow and concern worrying her face. The latter responded with an eventual shrug. 

No matter what it was, it wasn’t like the two were counting on being here for long.

\------------------------

“Community service.”

Akali rolled the words in her mouth. This is what robbing four banks and a stagecoach had got them in Arbor. Not a prison sentence, not an execution. 

But community service.

Overseen by some fox lady and her demon sidekick.

What kind of town was this?

“Yes.” Ahri tensed her hands together as the pair stood waiting before her desk. They might have not have been in the cells any longer, but the handcuffs slapped on them said they weren’t out of trouble yet. “You’ll help us improve the town and the surrounding areas, and after a certain point, we’ll let you go.”

“Okay, I’m going to need a lot more info than just that before agreeing to anything.” Kai’sa said, not waiting on Akali’s brain to catch up. “Like, what kind of work are we talking about, and how long exactly?”

“Running out gangs, watching over cattle trains, generally making it safer to live here. That sort of thing.” There were more fine details in the letters that she was drafting up, but that was the gist of it. “As for how long…” While it was only meant to last as long as Arbor needed the extra help, there was no real way to say when that would end. 

“How about we put it as, not as long as you would wind up behind bars, and probably a lot more comfortable?” Evelynn proposed from where she lingered in the nearby stairwell. With the secret (although barely kept as it was) out of the bag, she had returned to comfortably blending into the relative darkness there. “Let’s face it, this is about the best offer you’ll ever get.” There had been quite a few zeroes on that bounty, plus the whole ‘dead or alive’ tag to them.

Kai’sa looked over to Akali, finding her turning as well. A raise of eyebrows asked for the other’s thoughts. Kai’sa chewed on her bottom lip. It was an odd offer, but certainly tempting given their other options. And the opportunities that came with it. 

“We’ll take it.”

“Good.” Ahri held out a black fountain pen as she turned around the papers to them. “Then sign here.”

\-------------------------------

“So, while I was inspecting potential the mine, you all went and agreed to make two brigands into ‘protectors of the town’. Have you gone crazy?”

The new person ranting in the middle of the main road at Samuels and Ahri was Walter Spenceton. 

Owner of the town mine. 

And the nearest warlock in miles.

“We did have a meeting over it.” Samuels noted, trying to keep his cool as Spenceton worked himself up. “One you declined to join.” 

“Just because you were friends with the last mayor doesn’t automatically make you the next one.” He snarked before focusing back on Ahri. “What’s stopping them from robbing us blind while we sleep and taking off? Can you answer me that?”

“That’s why we were coming to find you.” She had hoped to catch him before the news could reach him, but that proved too much to hope for. “I was thinking that you could use some tether magic to help.”

“You want me to actively keep two criminals here, walking around freely.”

“More, within a certain range of me or Evelynn.”

“Great, so they’ll kill the both of you plus me to break the spell. I want absolutely nothing to do with this.” He tried to say it with an air of finality, stomping his foot into the dirt. But his skinny frame shifting in his suit, unkempt hair, and pale skin from too much time underground did nothing to back that up.

“Listen. The deal is already in place.” Samuels crossed his arms as he took a step closer. “You can either help, or don’t. But if you don’t, and they do wind up trying to steal everything not bolted down, the richest man in town would be a pretty little target, wouldn’t you say?”

He paused at that, midway through starting to storm off. Took a breath, adjusted his shirt, and turned back.

“Fine. What do you need?”


End file.
